It was almost three years ago that Bronson Koenig stepped onto the Reinhart Athletic Complex basketball court for his first varsity game.

His biggest concern while playing St. Paul Johnson on the afternoon of Dec. 5, 2009 was finding his role on an Aquinas High School team nine months removed from a WIAA Division 3 state runner-up finish.

Koenig had no idea that his future was going to include multiple visits to La Crosse by North Carolina coach Roy Williams or that he’d play an MVC game in Onalaska that included a section of seating roped off for the rumored attendance of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Weather prevented Krzyzewski from showing up that night, but both he and Williams offered Koenig scholarships.

So did Kansas coach Bill Self, who was standing in the middle of a surface named after the game’s inventor — James Naismith Court — in a facility named after a man who coached the sport for 50 years and won more than 700 games — “Phog” Allen Fieldhouse.

Looking back, the afternoon of June 15, 2010 was the most important day in the recruiting war over this 6-foot-3 point guard.

That’s when he received his most significant offer, one that came from Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.

Koenig still seemed in shock an hour after receiving that phone call, and it never really wore off.

He couldn’t stop smiling Wednesday afternoon with his dad, Paul, on one side and his mom, Ethel, on the other as he signed his National Letter of Intent to become a Badger. .........

I think the Badgers 2013 class might be Bo's best. Landing both Vitto Brown and Nigel Hayes was big. Diamond Stone is still the huge target for 2015. If they can land him with Dekker, Koenig, Brown, Hayes, and Happ already in the fold, they are really looking tough.

I think this season is probably going be the Badgers worst year for the next 4-5, minimum. They are really going to miss Gasser's ball handling, defense, and efficiency.

LUKE23 wrote:I think the Badgers 2013 class might be Bo's best. Landing both Vitto Brown and Nigel Hayes was big. Diamond Stone is still the huge target for 2015. If they can land him with Dekker, Koenig, Brown, Hayes, and Happ already in the fold, they are really looking tough.

I think this season is probably going be the Badgers worst year for the next 4-5, minimum. They are really going to miss Gasser's ball handling, defense, and efficiency.

Yea, Bo has reeled in some really nice recruits the last two years. I'm very curious to see what kind of teams Ryan can put together with rosters containing higher levels of recruits, on paper at least. Dekker struggled a little vs Florida, but it was so exciting and refreshing to see a skilled wing actually attacking the paint off his dribble. For to long the only player with that ability has been at the PG position.

Buzz also just signed on a very good recruiting class. As a fan of both programs, it's so great for me to pretty much expect an NCAA tournament bid each year from both teams. I also like how the two coaches play vastly different type of systems and thus tend to recruit different type of players. So long as Buzz doesn't bolt for another job in the next few years, local college basketball fans who aren't alumni of either school have been and should be able to continue seeing the two major programs in the state playing high quality basketball. Playing in lots of games which are to be looked forward to. I love it.

LUKE23 wrote:I think the Badgers 2013 class might be Bo's best. Landing both Vitto Brown and Nigel Hayes was big. Diamond Stone is still the huge target for 2015. If they can land him with Dekker, Koenig, Brown, Hayes, and Happ already in the fold, they are really looking tough.

I think this season is probably going be the Badgers worst year for the next 4-5, minimum. They are really going to miss Gasser's ball handling, defense, and efficiency.

Honestly I think Bo has a better shot at Looney than Stone.

Mu signed all five of their men and should be a top 15 class when said and done. It's going to be a down year for both programs and they'll still probably make the tourney. Should be a fun next 5 years.

From the people within the program I've talked to, Looney is a longshot but they feel very good about Stone. Looney is class of 2014, and they currently are filled up for their 13 schollies at the moment. Isn't to say they wouldn't make room for Looney, but historically UW hasn't gone down the Buzz cut or Crean type way of handing that.

Stone and Koenig are extremely close. C will also be the Badgers top need by far moving forward.